New Leyton Orient manager Fabio Liverani believes his squad is strong enough to take the club out of trouble but has called for patience as he waits for the injured players to return.

The Italian took charge of his first match on Saturday in the O's 2-1 home defeat to Peterborough United. This left the side in the League One relegation zone but the 38-year-old is confident his side will avoid the drop and improve over the course of the season.

Speaking through new goalkeeper coach and translator Rob Gagliardi, Liverani said: “I don't have concerns about specific things from this performance. The only concern is the league table which is not great because we're third from bottom. But I believe the squad has the ability to climb out of this situation.”

He added: “Realistically for this season to be successful we would need to rise above some of the teams in front of us and do the maximum to get as far away from the relegation zone as possible.

“Nothing is impossible to achieve but we will see in March what situation we are in. I think the next seven games will tell us which part of the table we are in and the direction of the season afterwards.”

A spate of injuries to players such as David Mooney and Kevin Lisbie, along with Chris Dagnall's suspension, forced Liverani's hand against Peterborough and the new boss has called for time to assess his squad before he decides if new additions next month are necessary.

The former Italy international midfielder said: “There are eight players injured and one suspended at this time so it's difficult to say what is good and what is bad. But when we have a full squad then it will be different.”